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F. G. TRASK. COMPRESSED MR AND VACUUM RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED bis. 11. 1921.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

3 SHLEIS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES ITTORNEYS F. G. TRASK.

COMPRESSED AIR AND VACUUM RAILWAY. APPLICATION FILED DEC. l7| i921.

1,41 1,597. Patented ADP. 4, 1922.

3 SHHJS SHEET 2.

COMPRESSED All? TAN/f 2 VACUUM TAN/r OIL PUMP vACu PRESSURE (k N/mJVA Qi w/ fNESSES REQ Ca -JML. '7 N A TTORNEYS F. G. TRASK. COMPRESSED MR ANDVACUUM RAILWAY.

APPLICAHON FILED DEC. 11. 1921. 1,41 1,597. P t t API- 4, 1922. F aswans-sneer a. r

WITNESSES wvmmn W 1 ,0 I? G Iras 1c,

A TTORNE Y8 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

oournEssEn-Am AND vacuum RAILWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

Application filed December 17, 1921. Serial No. 523,061.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK GEORGE TRASK, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Ross, in the county of Mountrail and State of NorthDakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (.ompressed-Air and Vacuum Railways, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in rapid transit railways and itconsists in the constructions, combinations and mode of operation hereindescribed and claimed. An object of the invention is to provide meansfor pro" lling a vehicle by discharging compiesse air against abutmentsalong a track on which the vehicle runs.

A further object is to provide a novel propelling means including thecombination of an air pressure and a vacuum system, the former operatingto move a vehicle forwardly, the latter operating to keep certain portsor abutinents along a track clean.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,reference he iug had to the accompanying drawings. in

p which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved railwa Fig. 2 is a diagramillustrating the mode of ropulsion of one of the train vehicles.

*ig. 3 is a front elevation, the tracks being shown in section, 1

Fig, 4 is an inverted perspectim iew of one of the bearing plates, and

Fig. 5, is a detail perspective view of a section of track.

The train (Fig. 1) is com osed of a number of vehicles 1. 2, and 3. hefirst vehicle. which would correspond with the engine of an ordinarypassenger train, contains an engine 4 (Fig. 2) which operates an aircompressor 5 and an exhaust fan 6. The former stores air under ressurein a tank 7. The latter exhausts air from a tank 8 which for convenienceis termed a vacuumtank.

The supply of air in the tank 7 may be augmented by fillings. storagetank 9 from a compressed air reservoir 10 along the road. The tank 9 hasa valved connection 11 (Fig. 2) which extends to the outside of thevehicle 1 (Fig. i) so that a connection with the reservoir 10 may behad. A valved corn nection 12 transfers compressed air from the tank 9to the tank 7.

Each vehicle as a nu l nber oi bearing plates 13 and 1 I sides.

through the other set 01 ports when the train goes in the samedirection. The same is true when the train is intended to run in theopposite direction.

The ports 20 and 21 of each bearing plate l3 and 14 cooperate withrecesses or abut- Inents 22 and 23 in each of the rails 15 and 16. Bydischarging highly compressed air into the abutment recesses 22 aforward pro.

pulsion of the vehicle (1 in 2) is obtained. By exhausting air from theabutment recesses 23. oil and other accumula tions are withdrawn and theforward propulsion ot' the vehicle aided to some extent. In order topropel the vehicle in the oppo site direction. the passage ofexhausting. air

and air under compression is reversed. In this event. the abutmentrecesses 23 become the pressure abutments, while 22 become the so-calledvacuum abutments. 4

A system of valves and pipes contrdls the air. Each pipe 24 which leadsto a. pressure port -2O. branches into pipes 25 and 26 respectivelyhaving valves 27 and 28. Similarly. the pipes '29 of the vacuum ports 21merge into hranches 30 and 31 which have valves 32 and 33 respectively.

A ll pipes 25 and 30 lead to the compressed air tank 7. All pipes 26 and31 lead to the vacuum tan]; 8. It is only a matter of opening andclosing the proper valves 27. 28. etc., in order to produce the effectdescribed above. In the present instance. the valves 27 are open. 28closed, closed and 33 open. The diagram in Fig. 2 illustrates the resultof this arrangement of the valves.

Air under pressure is discharged through ports 20 against the bottom ofthe abutment recesses 22 in the rails 15 and 16. While air isu'itl'ldrawn from the abutment recesses 23 and the zone surroundingthem,'through the ports 21. It is to be observed that abutment recessesand of each rail are" in trans erse alincment in respect to each otherbut that pairs of the recesses arS staggered pressed air from thevehicle in respect to each other in the. two rails. A pair of recesses22 and 23 of the rail 15 will come between two pairs ofrecesses 22 and23 of the rail 16. i

This arrangement lessens the period through which tlie ports and 21traverse solid'surfaces of the rails. The leading edges of the bearingplates are beveled at 34 as in Fig. 4, thus aiding in crossingobstructions should any fall upon the track. The track may be made inany desirable manner, either of solid.iron,- or of wood with a metallicfacing plate, as illustrated for example in Fig. 5. Neither theparticular construction of the track. the trestle work by which it issupported and braved, the construction of the vehicles. or the,construction of the machinery inside of the first vehicle 1, ismaterial to the invention disclosed as obviously the invention may heembodied in a variety of ways, without departing from the spirit.

I claim 2 1. A railwaylcomprising a vehicle on a track, andmeans fordischarging compressed air from the Whicleagainst the track to pron.

on which it runs, having means ofi'ering abutment and means fordischarging comagainst the abutment. V V

3. A railway comprising a vehicle,'a traclr with recesses, bearing meansextending from the vehicle and sliding on the track, 'and means fordischarging compressed air through said bearing means into the recessesof the track.

4. A railwa \comprising a track with re- (l in opposite directions, avehicle,- bearing means carried thereby sliding on the track and havingports dis osed move the vehicle forwardly by virtue of the rea 2} Arailway comprising a vehicle, a track to correspond with the recesses,and;

carried by theyehicle for either forcing com: pressed-air through a portand into a corres spondin recess to-cause the vehicle to move in oneirection and withdraw other port and vice'versa.

5. A. railway comprising a vehicle with bearing. means having portsdisposed' in opposite directiens, means for "forcing compressed airthrough one port and exhausting air from the other. port and vice versa,and a rail on which the beari meansslides having a series of reoesses dis direction 'for one port and a series of'recesses disposed in theopposite direction for the other 6. A railway comprising a tracli vvithse- -ries of recesses dis osed in opposite ,dircctions, :1 vehicle witbearing means sliding on the track and havingports disposed incorresponding directions, means for forcing compressed air through oneport to impact the base of one series of recesses and move the vehicleforwardly, and means for exha'hst'ing air from theother port and corresponding recesses to remove accumulations of oil, etc. from the track.

air from the,

posed in one s T.' A railway comprisinga vehicle with bearing plates,each having ports disposed in'opposite directions; a vacuum tank havinga valved-connection to each portcand a,

compressed air reservoir having a valved connection to each port; v 8. Arailway including a track With a longitudinal series of recessesdisposed at one angle, and a companion longitudinal serics of recessesdisposed at another angle 9. A railway including two 'tracksfeach withlongitudinal series of recesses disposed at opposite angles, therecesses of one track coming midway of the recesses of the other trackto form a staggered arrangement.

FRANK GEORGE TRASK.

